Have you ever recruited someone to sell a bunch of pedals and gear?

[dk_ace]

If so, how did you find them and how did the arrangement work?

I’ve got a bunch of stuff that needs to be sold, would like to use it towards some more interesting gear and there’s no point in it just sitting idle.

The main reason I haven’t already sold it all is the time it takes to get it sold. Wondering what good options might be to have someone do that for me on some sort of consignment basis.

D

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

If so, how did you find them and how did the arrangement work?

I’ve got a bunch of stuff that needs to be sold, would like to use it towards some more interesting gear and there’s no point in it just sitting idle.

The main reason I haven’t already sold it all is the time it takes to get it sold. Wondering what good options might be to have someone do that for me on some sort of consignment basis.

D

Everyone bags on Guitar Center ripping folks off, but they aren't sooo far off the very best consignment setup I've ever seen (70/30 split of actual income -- so if they wind up selling it on reverb, the 70/30 split is done on actual realized income after shpping/site fees, etc.). The benefit of GC is the whole process is over and done in an afternoon. I've dealt with three. The first one I dealt with said they pay out 60% of what they find the going used rate to be, which they base mostly on actual sold items on Reverb, with a little bit of eBay and internal GC data thrown in. The other two, I went in with my thoughts on what 60% of actual sale on reverb would be and they were either bang on, or slightly higher than what I predicted.

 

[JiveTurkey]

I did it for a music store that was closing.




Made a little bit of $ and got some free pedals out of the deal. Probably wouldn't bother again but the guy was a friend so I was cool with it.

 

[dk_ace]

Thanks for the info, I need to do a little math and see what makes the most sense. I do know a few people locally that might be interested to do it. I need to look at what the net is likely to be between the options (me, friend, GC - really just between a friend and GC if I were gonna do it I already would have).

Might make sense to do both, the items that should be easier to sell and worth the cash difference get done by me or a friend, and then a small truckload of stuff that isn’t going to be as easy to move goes to GC.

D

 

[Bob Zaod]

I have sold friends stuff on my Reverb page because I have been with them for years and have pretty much the highest rating you can get but I only do local friends with 1 or two items. that might be an option for you if you have a local friend with a reverb account in good standing. Their rates border on ridiculous now though.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Thanks for the info, I need to do a little math and see what makes the most sense. I do know a few people locally that might be interested to do it. I need to look at what the net is likely to be between the options (me, friend, GC - really just between a friend and GC if I were gonna do it I already would have).

Might make sense to do both, the items that should be easier to sell and worth the cash difference get done by me or a friend, and then a small truckload of stuff that isn’t going to be as easy to move goes to GC.

D

This is the way.

 

[la szum]

Asking a friend to do that is like asking them to take you to the airport or help you move.

Don't do it!

 

[dk_ace]

Asking a friend to do that is like asking them to take you to the airport or help you move.

Don't do it!

How is asking someone who knows gear and has some time on their hands if they want to sell a bunch of my stuff and get a 20-30% cut of the proceeds like asking them to take me to the airport? It’s enough money to be worth their time presumably, and they can say no. I’m not asking anyone to do it for free or for cheap.

D

 

[TSJMajesty]

By the time you do that, you may as well just take it to GC and take what they give you.

 

[Whizzinby]

The advantage of GC is the quick guaranteed sale, but you’ll only get 40-60% of the used value. That’s fair tbh, but I generally try to do local sales for everything so that I don’t end up taking a bath on my gear churn journey. But it sorta depends on the item. Selling a used cab is hell on earth generally.

 

[-BOOGIEMAN-]

It’s far easier and no wasting time trading it in at GC…

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

It’s far easier and no wasting time trading it in at GC…

Yeah, if you’re already giving somebody a larger-than-10% cut…just go GC.

 

[dk_ace]

I can’t believe how many recommendations are coming in for GC. I guess it’s worth a shot with at least a few items to see what the experience is like.

D

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

I can’t believe how many recommendations are coming in for GC. I guess it’s worth a shot with at least a few items to see what the experience is like.

D

Experience? It’s the usual GC experience. Which ain’t great, but is over and done in less than an hour with cash in hand.

Alternative experience: reach out to half a dozen folks to see if they are willing, spend an hour negotiating, find a time you can meet up to get the gear to the person, wait a few weeks, have money slow roll in as individual items sell. If that is worth an extra 10%…then it seems just taking the pics and listing it yourself on reverb is worth the extra 20% above and beyond consignment.

 

[dk_ace]

Experience? It’s the usual GC experience. Which ain’t great, but is over and done in less than an hour with cash in hand.

Alternative experience: reach out to half a dozen folks to see if they are willing, spend an hour negotiating, find a time you can meet up to get the gear to the person, wait a few weeks, have money slow roll in as individual items sell. If that is worth an extra 10%…then it seems just taking the pics and listing it yourself on reverb is worth the extra 20% above and beyond consignment.

I haven’t been to a GC in years. Never sold anything to them. Would have expected it to be a ripoff and a pain in the neck. Can’t be that bad with all the recommendations though.

D

 

[-BOOGIEMAN-]

Probably best to search for info as to what they typically pay and then decide if it’s worth taking the hit or not. My experiences doing in person trades hasn’t been worth the time or effort. Musicians are some of the best flakes to walk the planet and I don’t suffer fools…

 

[CBHScott]

While I wouldn’t outright sell to GC, I have done some trade-ins - either toward something new (where they take 10% off the new item’s price), or towards something used, minty, and priced low. Definitely worth the much-lower hassle in those scenarios.

 

[dk_ace]

Is there a difference in what you get from them for a piece of gear between if you’re trading in vs selling?

What I want to buy isn’t something they have on the rack in a local store, but they can get them.

D

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Is there a difference in what you get from them for a piece of gear between if you’re trading in vs selling?

What I want to buy isn’t something they have on the rack in a local store, but they can get them.

D

there is no difference, there is also no haggling. It's a lot like Carmax in that regard. They do strongly encourage you to look around and consider buying something new since they'll give you a 10% discount on any new item in stock that day.

 

[CBHScott]

Is there a difference in what you get from them for a piece of gear between if you’re trading in vs selling?

What I want to buy isn’t something they have on the rack in a local store, but they can get them.

D

there is no difference, there is also no haggling. It's a lot like Carmax in that regard. They do strongly encourage you to look around and consider buying something new since they'll give you a 10% discount on any new item in stock that day.

I’m not so sure, though - it seems that before they quote you on a trade credit, they always ask what item you are interested in (and price level) before they give you a quote, which leads me to believe that there is some wiggle room on the credit. I have, in fact, been given a quote, and after some hesitation, may get a higher quote in response. It has been awhile, though, so maybe that has changed.